


Talk of Skyhold

by dragonsofarlathan



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Absolutely No Angst, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Sex, and not wanting to do the do sometimes is okay, basically it's just cute couple bants, but no actual sex, it's actually not angsty guys wow how did i do that, there is, though? idk if that's necessary to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 22:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13374051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsofarlathan/pseuds/dragonsofarlathan
Summary: "The knock sounded again, and Jaras groaned as he ripped the covers off himself and walked down the stairs towards his door. Unless something was on fire or someone was dying, Jaras would just dismiss the visitor and go back to sleep. The Inquisition did just fine without him while they were gone: they could handle eight more hours. Or maybe a solid twenty four.Jaras unlocked the door and turned the knob, ready to send the visitor on their way, but he found himself smiling instead when the door revealed Dorian standing at the threshold.'Well, I figured you would be asleep by now,' Jaras joked, opening the door further to allow Dorian to come in. He smiled back at Jaras, and the twinkle in his eyes threatened to make Jaras swoon."Jaras and Dorian at three different times in their early romance where they not only have a healthy sexual relationship where saying no is okay but feelings eventually smack a certain someone in the face.





	Talk of Skyhold

It was a long week for Jaras and his companions. He, Dorian, Sera, and Iron Bull had spent the last week in Emprise du Lion helping the villagers and taking Suledin Keep on top of a mountain. They rarely slept—as per usual when they were out in the field—and by the last day of their mission, the effects on Jaras were obvious. He couldn’t wait to return to Skyhold and sleep for sixteen hours straight.

 

The ride back to Skyhold, even on horseback—or, rather, a Dracolisk in Jaras’s case—took the better part of a day and through miles and miles of snow and rugged terrain, no less. The most agonizing part of it all, however, had to be crossing the long bridge into Skyhold, the bridge the embodiment of “so close yet so far away.” Jaras didn’t care why whoever inhabited Skyhold originally put it there: he loathed that bridge with every fiber of his being, even more than those stupid masks the Orlesian nobles insisted on wearing to show how much better than everybody else they thought they were.

 

Jaras wasted no time to crawl into bed once he returned to Skyhold. Thankfully, they made their not-so-grand entrance in the middle of the night, so the only people there to greet them were the advisors and Cassandra. He greeted the four of them, excused himself, and then walked with quite a bit of purpose back to his quarters. Creators, he was never as happy to flop down onto his bed as he was when he first returned from missions.

 

Jaras only cared enough to rip his shoes off before he snuggled up underneath the covers. It was  _so warm_ , a nice change from the raging winds in the Emprise and in the mountains on the way to and from Skyhold. A reprieve from the wind was rare but not as rare as it was to get away from the snow and the sharp bite in the air. The tip of Jaras’s nose was still numb from the ghost of the cold. Emprise du Lion was a miserable place that was quite ecstatic to share its own pitifulness with anyone who was unlucky enough to stay there for a week or two.

 

Already, the tendrils of sleep were wrapping around Jaras, and he welcomed it. The past week was long and hard, and he couldn’t wait to finally get a good night’s rest. When he woke up in the morning, he was sure Cassandra and Josephine would hound him about his mission report, Cullen would want to hold a war room meeting about the troops and villagers in Emprise du Lion, and Leliana would surely have something to talk with him and Harding about. All of that could wait until the morning, though. For now, Jaras would sleep…

 

A knock came from the door, and Jaras cursed silently. Maybe he could just pretend he was already asleep, and whoever it was would just come back in the morning…

 

The knock sounded again, and Jaras groaned as he ripped the covers off himself and walked down the stairs towards his door. Unless something was on fire or someone was dying, Jaras would just dismiss the visitor and go back to sleep. The Inquisition did just fine without him while they were gone: they could handle eight more hours. Or maybe a solid twenty-four.

 

Jaras unlocked the door and turned the knob, ready to send the visitor on their way, but he found himself smiling instead when the door revealed Dorian standing at the threshold.

 

“Well, I figured you would be asleep by now,” Jaras joked, opening the door further to allow Dorian to come in. He smiled back at Jaras, and the twinkle in his eyes threatened to make Jaras swoon.

 

“Where is the fun in that?” Dorian asked as the two men took their chat up the stairs and into the center of Jaras’s room, right in front of his bed. “Why be well rested when you can sate something else?”

 

Jaras chuckled. “If you came here for a booty call, I’m afraid that’s not happening tonight. I’m falling asleep standing up.”

 

Dorian took a step closer to Jaras, leaving practically no room between them and definitely no doubt to Dorian’s intentions. “Oh come on, we just spent a week with nothing but sexual tension and the cold. I’m sure we’ll both be done and off to bed in twenty minutes, tops.” Well, that wasn’t a lie: there was quite a bit of sexual tension. Even though they shared a tent, neither of them dared to take their clothes off for more than five minutes at a time because of the cold. There was also the fact that Dorian was still hesitant to even think naughty thoughts about Jaras in the presence of anyone but their other two companions. The whole trip, Dorian and Jaras were reduced to furtive glances and quick make-out sessions in dark corners like they were in freaking Skyhold still. It drove Jaras mad, but still, sleep took priority over his sexual desires. Besides, he didn’t want to fall asleep during sex and make a fool of himself. He did that once with Aththorn, and the stupid man refused to let him live it down.

 

“I’m afraid it will just have to wait until tomorrow,  _ma elgara_. I’m too tired.” Jaras leaned in for a kiss, and Dorian did not hesitate to do the same. The kiss, however, became more than a kiss, and the two men were disrobing themselves in seconds. The thought of helping Dorian undo his buckles, however, sent a rush of sense through Jaras, and he thanked the Creators for Dorian’s unconventional fashion choices. Tonight was not a good night for sex for Jaras, but his dick wasn’t too worried about that.

 

Jaras gently pushed Dorian away from where they sat on the bed. “Nope. Not happening tonight,” Jaras said, still breathing hard. “You can spend the night, though, and maybe something will happen in the morning—well, probably the afternoon.”

 

Dorian sighed, but he continued to undo his buckles. “I might as well. Your bed is softer than mine, anyway, and after a week of sleeping on the ground, I think I deserve it,” Dorian joked in his usual flippant manner.

 

So, the two of them continued to disrobe, though a bit less enthusiastically this time. Jaras was finished in about a minute and a half—rogue armor was light and uncomplicated—but Dorian did not crawl under the covers until over ten minutes later. By that point, Jaras could barely tear his eyes open and glance at his lover, but he managed.

 

“Goodnight,  _ma elgara_ ,” Jaras whispered, his voice heavy with sleep.

 

“Sweet dreams,  _amatus_ ,” Dorian smiled as he whispered back.

 

//\\\//\\\

 

Jaras spent the whole day in War Room meetings. With the attack on Adamant approaching, Jaras and his advisors wanted to leave no room for mistakes. They were unsure of what exactly they would find in the building—they knew the basic layout of it thanks to Cole and old documents in the possession of one of Josephine's contacts, but that was all before Corypheus. How many Wardens would be at Adamant? Could Jaras sway or reason with any of them? Would Corypheus himself be there? What about the Venatori? Jaras and his advisors were unsure of too much for their comfort.

 

It was well after nightfall when the five of them—Cassandra had slipped in at some point, though the other four were not hesitant to accept additional help—decided there was simply nothing else they could plan at this point. Everything they could sort through was sorted through. They exhausted the last of their knowledge, and it was time to call it a day. Jaras left the War Room reluctantly and unsatisfied—he didn't like leaving room for error, but it was all they could do right now unless something else came to light.

 

Their incomplete plan was still on his mind as he walked into his room to find his lover, Dorian, sitting at Jaras's desk, reading a book. Jaras could say that he was surprised to find Dorian there, but that was a lie: when Jaras left for the War Room meeting early that morning, Dorian was in that very same chair with that very same book. Dorian had recently refreshed his tea, but otherwise, everything was exactly the same.

 

It took Dorian a moment to tear his eyes away from his book as Jaras walked in and sat roughly on the couch and began the strenuous process of untying his shoes. 

 

"Ah, you're back,  _amatus_ ," Dorian said, setting his book down while smirking at Jaras. "I figured you and your advisors were halfway to the Anderfels by now: no one's heard from you all day."

 

If Jaras were in a more favorable mood rather than stressed and tired from the day-long meeting, Jaras would have quipped back. Instead, he merely huffed out, "I wish."

 

Dorian stood up and walked over to Jaras, sitting beside him on the couch. "Rough day, then?" he asked.

 

"Quite," was all Jaras said.

 

Dorian reached over and began unbuttoning Jaras's shirt for him. "Well, I know something that can take your mind off of that."

 

Jaras sighed. "I'm sorry, Dorian, I'm just not in the mood right now. It's been a long, stressful day: I just want to sleep. You can stay the night here, anyway, though."

 

Dorian continued unbuttoning Jaras's shirt, but withdrew his hands after the last notch and placing one hand on Jaras's knee. "Not even something short? I can do that thing you like."

 

"If you really want, I can do something for you, but I just don't think I could enjoy myself while thinking about Corypheus."

 

Dorian laughed. "Ah, he's such a cockblock. If we don't both enjoy it, then there's no point. I guess I'll just have to be your bedwarmer tonight, then."

 

"What do you mean 'bedwarmer'?" Jaras asked incredulously. "Your feet make Emprise du Lion seem warm."

 

Dorian shook his head, astounded by Jaras’s audacity. "Well, at least I'm not a  _furnace_. Honestly, I thought I was going to have a heat stroke last night."

 

"Well, a heat stroke is better than your lower body freezing off. I swear, I might have to start wearing pants to bed. If I don't, then Corypheus won't kill me: you will the next time your leg brushes against mine in the middle of the night."

 

"And  _I'm_  the dramatic one," Dorian chuckled. They continued their conversation as they removed their clothes, Jaras considerably faster than Dorian, as always. As soon as Jaras was in nothing but his smalls, he crawled into bed and wrapped himself up like an Antivan burrito with the blanket. Dorian said that he was going to have a heat stroke, so he didn't  _really_  need the blanket, now did he?

 

Yet again, it took another ten minutes for Dorian to climb into bed with Jaras. The elf still didn't understand Dorian's extravagant fashion choices, nor could he even begin to fathom all the complicated steps to removing it. He always tried every time he and Dorian had sex—and even occasionally when they were just sucking face—but to no avail. Dorian eventually has to just take his clothes off himself. 

 

Dorian laughed at Jaras snatching all of the blanket, but he didn't say anything: he just wrapped Jaras in his arms in a spoon. They laid there in comfortable silence for a moment until Dorian spoke up. 

 

"So, do you have another War Room meeting tomorrow?" Dorian asked.

"Fortunately, no," Jaras sighed. "Well, at least not until Hawke and Stroud get here, but Varric doesn't think that'll happen until the day after tomorrow. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway."

 

"I was under the impression that the War Room meetings were your favorite part of being Inquisitor," Dorian joked. "I'm shocked. Truly."

 

Jaras chuckled and wiggled one of his hands free to whack Dorian on the side of his leg. "Ah, yes, I will never get over the rush I feel as I listen to Leliana and Cullen arguing over why we don't need troops or spies  _literally everywhere_  we could go while Josephine tries,  _and fails_ , to get them to shut up. Endless bickering for hours and hours on end: what could be better?"

 

"I think the only thing that could compare would be spending another week in Emprise du Lion."

 

Jaras groaned. "Don't remind me."

 

They were both quiet for a moment, letting the conversation drift off into silence again. Sleep slowly crept up on them, and they embraced it with open arms. Jaras was on the edge of sleep when he whispered, "Goodnight,  _ma elgara._ " 

 

When Dorian finally replied with "Goodnight,  _amatus_ ," Jaras was already asleep. 

 

//\\\//\\\

 

Dorian knocked at the door, each thump sending his heart into his throat. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing here—he’s never just… shared a room with one of his lovers for more than a night or two, and sex was always a factor. He doesn't do this, nor did he ever expect he would, especially when he was still in Tevinter.

 

_But he's different_ , he reminded himself.  _He stayed. He wants more, just like you do. He won't turn you away—maybe he even wants this, himself._

 

Dorian...wasn't very good at this. He had never been with another man who wanted more than just sex, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. He liked sex. Very much. But he liked more, too, though—just as much, if not more than it. In Tevinter, two men could never have more than a sexual relationship. It just didn’t happen. No noble wanted to be outcasted, become a pariah. Love wasn’t considered something valuable enough to risk everything. But now, with the Inquisition, everything he couldn't have with a man back in Tevinter, he could have now and with a man he cared very much for who wouldn’t have even been considered high enough of a class for it to be a scandal in his homeland.

 

He has never shared a bed with another man without it being “strictly no strings attached” or something. He’s never been more than a port in a storm. So how was he supposed to go about this? What does he say? "Hello, I like you quite a lot and I was wondering if you'd care to sleep together, but, you know,  _without_  sleeping together. Sounds delightful, doesn't it?"

 

Before he could worry about it any longer, however, the door to the Inquisitor's room creaked open, and there Jaras was, barely wearing anything more than his smalls. Dorian refrained from chuckling at that, but his nearly naked lover did ease his mind a bit. Maybe it does help imagining everyone else in their underwear?

 

"Oh, Dorian, I wasn't sure if you were going to come by tonight," Jaras said, and judging by the look on the elf's face and the embrace he pulled Dorian into, Dorian guessed Jaras was rather hoping the mage would stop by.

 

"You know me, unpredictable as always," Dorian joked. He thanked the Maker for his childhood in Tevinter because he knew he absolutely didn't look as nervous as he truly was.

 

Jaras kissed him chastely on the lips, then took Dorian by the hand and led him into the Inquisitor's quarters. Dorian spoke up once they finished climbing the stairs, knowing if he didn't say something now, then tonight would be enjoyable but completely unproductive.

 

"So,  _amatus_ ," Dorian began, still not entirely sure what he was going to say, "your room is awfully big. It must get lonely when we don't spend the night together."

 

Jaras shrugged, using one of the belts on Dorian's chest to bring him closer. "Sure," he chuckled, "I'm not used to having so much space to myself. Or sleeping inside a building, for that matter. I am Dalish, remember? Tents and aravels are more my speed. Not that I don't prefer buildings. It's a lot warmer, especially on top of a mountain like we are."

 

As soon as he finished talking, he kissed Dorian again, and Dorian had to make a conscious effort to pull away. "You know, the room would be even warmer if there were two people living here instead of one." Dorian hoped he was being obvious enough without actually having to say it.

 

It took Jaras a minute to process what the mage had just said. "What, like you moving in with me?"

 

"Sure, if you want," Dorian said nonchalantly. "We would have to do something about those awful bedsheets, though."

 

Jaras grinned cheekily. "Really, you want to sleep in my room? Every night? Wow, Dorian Pavus, I didn't think I'd ever see the day."

 

Dorian rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't you get smug. I'm probably in your room more than mine, anyway, and this way I won't have to do a walk of shame across the Skyhold courtyard every morning."

 

"But I thought you were worried about people finding out about us?" Jaras whispered scandalously. "Gossiping about the Tevinter magister probably using blood magic and sexual favors to pervert the mind of the oh-so-mighty Herald of Andraste?" Jaras couldn't help but grin at the hilarity of it, even though Dorian was sure there were some Chantry women squawking about it right now.

 

"Let them talk," Dorian whispered into Jaras's ear. The elf's smile widened at that, and he closed the distance between the two of them yet again and plopped a kiss on Dorian's mouth.

 

In the morning, Dorian would go back to his old room and collect his belongings. He'd empty out his drawers, maybe have Jaras help him carry over all his beauty products. There were several stacks of books he'd stolen from the library still sitting in the corner of his room, and he would have to sort through the piles and decide what he was ready to return and what he was still reading. He had a few trinkets from Tevinter and stupid little things Jaras would hand him or sneak into Dorian’s pack while they were on missions—a flower or two, a rock shaped like a dick, an arrow that killed three Venatori at once, weird things like that that Dorian thought were too funny or too sweet to get rid of—but all of it was small and light and easy to move from his old room to the Inquisitor's quarters. They would be done moving everything by lunch, and half of Skyhold would surely be talking about it an hour after that. Dorian was finding it hard to mind, however, because he was now living in the same room as his  _amatus_ , and that was worth all the talk.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> I have a [ Tumblr](https://aveline-the-dragon-slayer.tumblr.com/)! My askbox is always open :)


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